Following the revelation that new lead character Michael Burnham is actually Spock's adopted sister, Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Alex Kurtzman has confirmed the show WILL explain the confusing detail.

Talking exclusively to Digital Spy, Kurtzman opened up about the decision to make Michael (The Walking Dead's Sonequa Martin-Green) a relative of Spock, revealing: "This evolved from the storytelling.

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"The first Vulcan you're going to think of when you think of Vulcans is Spock, so as the story evolved, it became an interesting exploration of, 'Wait, how could they have been potentially living in the same home, under Amanda and Sarek, and Spock has never mentioned her?'

"When we got into that dramatic questioning, it became a fascinating idea and we locked in on it."

When asked if the inclusion of a family member for Spock was an easy choice to attract viewers, Kurtzman continued: "It was never about playing it safe. In fact, I would probably argue with some people that that's not a choice that plays it safe.

"However, a lot of people are going to have a real issue with it and now it's incumbent on us to prove why that was the right choice."

Kurtzman also addressed Star Trek V: The Final Frontier's similar reveal that Spock had an older brother called Sybok...

"Well, it certainly means there's precedent for it," he said. "Listen, Vulcans are very tight-lipped. They don't go around talking about their emotional experiences unless it's necessary, so that helped us in making the decision."

Star Trek: Discovery will be coming to Netflix in all territories outside of the US and Canada on Monday, September 25.

In the US, CBS will air the first episode on Sunday, September 24 before new episodes premiere on streaming platform CBS All Access.